Kimimaro
Kimimaro (君麻呂, Kimimaro) was the sole survivor of the Kaguya clan. Upon dedicating his life to Orochimaru, he became the leader of the formerly-named Sound Five (音隠れの忍五人衆, Otogakure no Shinobi Gonin Shū, Literally meaning: Hidden Sound Shinobi Five People), until he fell ill, which forced him to leave the group Background Being a rare possessor of his clan's Shikotsumyaku kekkei genkai, the clan patriarch feared Kimimaro's abilities and had him locked up in a cage unless needed for battle. The Kaguya clan was wiped out when they attacked Kirigakure, seemingly for no reason other than the desire to kill and show off their ferocity. Having underestimated their opponents' defences, they were slaughtered, with Kimimaro the sole survivor. Wandering soon after, Kimimaro was eventually found by Orochimaru, and recruited as one of his most loyal ninja. Under Orochimaru, Kimimaro found purpose in his life as he desired to ensure the continuation of his master's dreams and ambitions. Though Orochimaru took him under his wing to be one of his future hosts, Kimimaro did not mind such a fate if it meant being of aid to his master. Soon after, Kimimaro met Jūgo, a berserker whom Kimimaro felt a kindred spirit with. Kimimaro's friendship with Jūgo led to the events that resulted with him being branded by the cursed seal that Orochimaru developed from his research on Jūgo, whom Kimimaro talked into being experimented on in hopes that it would help him. With his new-found powers, Kimimaro defeated all four members of the Sound Four single-handed to be inducted into the renamed Sound Five. However, Kimimaro became afflicted by an unknown disease that destroyed what remaining worth he was to Orochimaru. Kabuto Yakushi attempted to cure Kimimaro, but to no avail due to Kimimaro's unique structure and lack of medical information on his clan. Kimimaro was left bedridden to extend his wavering lifespan, unable to participate in the Konoha Crush, which Kabuto claimed to be the factor that led to their defeat and retreat. In the anime, it was shown that Kimimaro acted as a herald to shinobi clans in the Land of Sound in order for them to swear loyalty to Orochimaru, such as the Fūma clan.5 After infiltrating Konoha during the Chūnin Exams, the Sound Five killed three Kusagakure genin, so that Orochimaru could impersonate Shiore. At this point, he gave a bloody cough, but decided to ignore it. However, while participating in the assassination of the Fourth Kazekage and his bodyguards so that Orochimaru and the Sound Four could impersonate them, Kimimaro's disease fully manifests. He is sent back to Otogakure to be placed by Kabuto in intense medical care to keep him alive for as long as possible. Hearing that his failing health has caused him to be of no use to Orochimaru, Kimimaro began silently crying for losing his purpose. Personality Unlike the rest of his clan, Kimimaro didn't have a particular interest in fighting or killing and saw his abilities only as a means to be of use to others. He was a calm and quiet individual who would dedicate himself to whatever mission was at hand. As a child, he was more gentle despite his natural talent for combat and unique abilities which made him the strongest of his clan, as seen from him not wanting to hurt others he had no involvement with, and his interest in flowers. His gentleness is also reinforced by how empathetic and kind he was to Jūgo, being one of the few people able to keep Jūgo from losing control over himself. After meeting Orochimaru, Kimimaro developed a strong devotion towards him, bordering on religious zeal or considering him a father figure (the manga suggesting the former, and the anime suggesting the latter), seeing Orochimaru's apparent kindness as a reason from him to exist under the notion that serving Orochimaru in any way is the only purpose he has. Though Kimimaro's relationship with Orochimaru was similar to Haku's relationship with Zabuza, the only difference was that Orochimaru ultimately lost interest in him when he became of no use to him. Regardless, finding a new way to assert his existence, Kimimaro's dedication to Orochimaru was so great that he both willed his body to fight and proved to be an extremely dangerous opponent for the likes of Naruto Uzumaki, Rock Lee and Gaara. Gaara compared the eyes of Kimimaro to those of Sasuke Uchiha's, the eyes of those who only sought to prove their own existence, nothing more. Even after being reincarnated by Kabuto, Kimimaro retained his loyalty to Orochimaru and intended to carry out Kabuto's orders. Gaara commented on Kimimaro to be hasty and a extreme distaste for weak opponents, or "trash" ninja as he put it. As a result, he would kill any he considered "trash" ninja, regardless if they were friend or foe as was with the case of Tayuya for her group's failure to deliver Sasuke in time. Despite his verbal disrespect of his opponents and over underestimating of their abilities, Kimimaro differs from his four colleagues in three ways: the first having a sense of honour in battle, as demonstrated when he halts to allow Lee time to take his medicine (though unaware it was actually alcohol that would strengthen Lee's combat abilities). Second was he does not have any faults that would hamper any progress, and even found how his team being so late to be intolerable, something Orochimaru took confidence in. Third was that he rarely showed any emotion other than surprise, except in moments relating to his ideals as seen when Gaara's insulting of his faith in Orochimaru caused him to become enraged before his death or when he sadly discovered his usefulness to Orochimaru has become lost forever. Appearance Kimimaro was characterised by his pale skin, vivid green eyes, angular facial features, two scarlet dots on his forehead which all the members of his clan possessed, and shoulder-length white hair, which he wore divided down the middle on his head (distinguished by an atypical 'zigzag' hair parting) with two separate partings on either side of his face. As a child, Kimimaro's hair is longer, which is tied in a loose pony-tail near the middle of his back, though the initial style was very similar to his later one. Kimimaro was characterised by his pale skin, vivid green eyes, angular facial features, two scarlet dots on his forehead which all the members of his clan possessed, and shoulder-length white hair, which he wore divided down the middle on his head (distinguished by an atypical 'zigzag' hair parting) with two separate partings on either side of his face. As a child, Kimimaro's hair is longer, which is tied in a loose pony-tail near the middle of his back, though the initial style was very similar to his later one. Abilities Kimimaro was noted by Orochimaru and Kabuto as the most powerful member of the Kaguya clan, with his combat skills far outclassing the entire Sound Four. He was the only person before Sasuke who could control Jūgo with hardly any effort. Even near death, Kimimaro's power could frighten the normally-arrogant Tayuya and battle Naruto, Lee, and Gaara consecutively without actually being defeated by them. After his reincarnation, he kept himself from being sealed away and slaughtered many enemies until Itachi Uchiha had Kabuto release the Impure World Reincarnation. In the anime, he could surround himself in a wall of white smoke, which was powerful enough to repel several enemies away from him. Shikotsumyaku Kimimaro's abilities came from his kekkei genkai, Shikotsumyaku, which allowed the user to manipulate their own skeletal structure as a means of combat. Specifically, it allowed Kimimaro to manipulate his osteoblast and osteoclast cells, which are responsible for building or breaking down bone tissue. This ability gave him absolute control over the concentration of calcium within his bones, allowing him to control the density or malleability of them. Kimimaro also stated that his bones were stronger than tempered steel. Kimimaro used this ability to wield his bones as weapons in battle, and could use them in the form of taijutsu attacks (which he called dances) to give him a variety of abilities, as well as grant him a near-invincible defence, able to withstand from being crushed by being buried under 200 metres of compressed sand, and most of the impact from even a chakra-enhanced blade, and cut through regular shuriken. He can also grow an entire forest of gigantic bone blades, and even merge with one of them to climb out from underground, allowing a deadly sneak attack. Orochimaru has stated that this was the ultimate taijutsu ability, which is held in high regard, and the main reason why Orochimaru desired Kimimaro to be his next vessel. However as a downside, a user of the Shikotsumyaku abilities, such as Kimimaro has a different bodily structure than others, as Kabuto Yakushi claimed that there had been too little information on his body to give any medical treatment for his terminal illness. Physical Prowess Kimimaro's abilities made him well suited for close-range combat fighting, demonstrating tremendous taijutsu skills combined with equally impressive speed, agility, and dexterity. He was able to defeat several hundred of Naruto's Nine-Tails-enhanced shadow clones effortlessly, at the same time not allowing himself to be struck. Kimimaro combined his Shikotsumyaku and taijutsu capabilities to form many deadly "dances". Lee, a taijutsu specialist, admitted that Kimimaro was a taijutsu master who does not waste a single movement. He also possessed immense strength, pulling himself out of Gaara's chakra-infused sand, which is normally difficult, if not impossible, due to its sturdiness. Kimimaro also had a very strong determination and endurance, as when his failing body would be physically impossible to move, he managed to force it through sheer willpower and still proved to be a deadly opponent. He also retained a high level of stamina, battling Naruto, Lee, and Gaara one after the other without collapsing. Cursed Seal Like many others of Orochimaru's closest followers, Kimimaro was given a cursed seal, which granted him tremendous power. He bore the Cursed Seal of Earth, which is said to be equal in power to the Cursed Seal of Heaven, and both Seals are said to be the strongest amongst the ones used by Orochimaru. His mastery of the Cursed Seal even impressed Jūgo, the source of the Cursed Seal who stated that Kimimaro had great enough skill that he could do a partial transformation. When active in Level 1, it spread across their entire body in in contorting and parallel lines. When in his Level 2 form, Kimimaro's appearance was similar to that of a dinosaur, with dark grey skin, dark black eye sclerae, yellow eye irises, sharp teeth, six large bone spines protruding out of his back, a long bone-spiked tail and two dark black curved like markings under his eyes — one under each eye and two as elongated eyebrows — one above each eye. Kimimaro's fighting style changed after entering his Level 2 state; he became much slower, but his physical strength increased to the point of smashing through Gaara's sand defences with a simple tackle, and his skin became thicker and harder, making it impossible even for Gaara's sand to penetrate it. It also increased his healing ability, as shown when the torn flesh he suffered earlier were instantly healed after releasing the power of his seal. Trivia * "Kimi" (君) is an ancient Japanese title of nobility. "Maro" (麻呂) is Japanese slang for a person with thin or shaved eyebrows; this stems from a practice used by noblemen in ancient Japan where they shaved their eyebrows and painted two dots similar to Kimimaro. * Most of Kimimaro's actions in the series, prior to his appearance in the Sasuke Recovery Mission, are exclusive to the anime. * Kimimaro appeared in the omake of Naruto: Shippūden episode 129, like many of the other minor characters. * According to the databook(s): ** His favourite word is "Selflessness" (無我, muga). ** Kimimaro has completed 22 official missions in total: 0 D-rank, 0 C-rank, 15 B-rank, 5 A-rank, 2 S-rank.